Whiffletree-hook.



G. E. STEPHENS.

WHIFFLETREE HOOK.

APPLICATION FIL BD APR-18, 1914. 1, 1 02,450.

Patented July 7, 1914.

Elttomu:

THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTD-LITHO WASHINGTON. D. C

GEORGE E. STEPHENS, 0F KNOXVILLE, IOWA.

WHIEFLETREE-HOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 7 191 Application filed April 18, 1914-. Serial No.832,872.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. STEPHENS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Knoxville, in the county of Marion and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful improvements in ld hiiiletree- Hooks, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in hooks, and moreparticularly to whil'lletree hooks which are employed to connect the endof a harness trace to the end of a whifiletree.

[in object of this invention is the provision of a whifiletree hookwhich comprises a threaded stem for engagement in the end of awhiifletree, the stem having .an end plate formed thereon which extendsat right angles to the longitudinal plane of the stem, the forwardlyextending end of the plate being enlarged to prevent accidentaldisengagement of the trace from the hook.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a whiflletreehook, in which the forwardly projecting portion of the end plate is ofrelatively greater width than the rearwardly extending portion thereof,the width of the forwardly extending portion of the plate being slightlyof less length than the eye in the trace so that the trace may beengaged over the forward end of the plate by disposing the rear end ofthe trace to a position at right angles with relation to thelongitudinal plane thereof.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novelconstruction to be hereinafter more fully described,

claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is an elevational view looking at the end of my improveddevice; and Fig. 2 is a top view thereof, showing the whifiietree insection.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates oneend of the whiflietree upon the vextremity of which is mounted a ferrule2 of the usual construction to prevent splitting of the end of thewhiftletree. My improved hook comprises a stem 3 which is threaded atits inner end as at 4C, the inner end of the stem being adapted forengagement in the end of the whiffletree 1. The opposite end of the stemprojects outwardly from the whiitletree, and is provided at itsextremity with an end plate 5 which extendsin a horizontal plane atright angles to the longitudinal plane of the stem. The forward end ofthe plate which is relatively longer than the rear end thereof, isenlarged to form a head 6, the forward edge of the head being curved asat 7, that portion of the plate between the head 6 and the stem beingreduced as at 8. '1 1e rear end 9 of the end plate 5 is tapered from thestem 3 to a point at the rear extremity of the plate, the upper andlower edges of the rear end of the plate being beveled as at 10 from theouter face to the inner face thereof. Any trace or cock eye of ordinaryconstruction may be used in connection with my hook the trace 11 in theaccompanying drawing being provided with the usual eye 12 adjacent therear end thereof.

In the practical use of my device, the hook is connected to thewhiilletree so that the plate 5 extends forwardly thereof, and when itis desired to connect the trace to the hook, the rear end of the traceis disposed in a vertical position so that the eye 12 therein may bepassed over the head 6 of the plate, whereupon the rear end of the traceis drawn upwardly to engage the inner wall of the eye 12 against thelower wall of the reduced portion 8 of the plate, so that the extremityof the trace above the plate may he swung rearwardly and downwardly, thereduced portion 8 of the plate forming a fulcrum so that the eye maypass over the relatively short rear end of the plate, whereupon the rearend of the trace may be moved inwardly upon the stem 3. It will be seenthat when the trace is in use, the same will be drawn forwardly so thatthe rear wall of the eye 12 therein engages the stem 3, and as the head6 of the plate is relatively of much greater width than the width of theeye 12 in the trace, accidental disengagement of the trace from the hookis prevented. When it is desired to remove the trace from the hook, thetrace is moved rearwardly until the forward end of the eye thereinengages the stem 3, whereupon that portion of the trace rearwardly ofthe stem is swung outwardly so that the eye passes over the reduced rearend of the plate 5, whereupon the rear end of the trace may be againdisposed vertically around the reduced portion 8 of the plate so thatthe eye 12 in the trace extends in the same plane as the head 6 of theplate, and in this posiof material so that the same may be cheaplymanufactured, the hook being of such construction that accidentaldisengagement of a trace therefrom 1s prevented, as it is necessary todispose the rear end of the trace in a. vertical position at rightangles to the plane of the end plate of the hook before the same may beremoved from the hook.

Having thus fully described my inven tion, What I desire to secure andclaim by 1 Letters Patent, is i A Whiffletree hook comprising a stemadapted for engagement in the end of a 1 Whiiiletree, an end plateconnected intermediate of its ends to the outer end of said stem, saidend plate being disposed in a plane at right angles to the longitudinalplane of the stem, the forward end of sald plate being enlarged to 'forma head, the,

portion of the plate between said head and the stem being'reduced, andthe. rear end of saidplate being tapered from the stem to the rearextremity of said plate;

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix signaturein thepresence of tWoWitnesses.

, GEORGE E. STEPHENS.

lVitnesses:

HARRY J. CORE,

J. D. SCHLOTTERBAGK.

7 Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

